Sweet Like Arsenic (B. Barnes) ✔

5 | coffee shop

   "Captain," I called as him and Bucky began to walk out of the atrium, leaving me a few steps behind them as I followed, "where should I go?"

   The man in question turned around and stopped walking, holding Bucky in place by resting his hand on his friend's metal arm. He scratched his clean-shaven chin and looked at Bucky, who shrugged.

   "I guess you could come with us as long as you don't do anything crazy. I think you're allowed to be out of your cell." Captain America offered, waiting for me to catch up.

   "What?" Bucky exclaimed, looking at Cap before sighing, "She's- fine, let's grab breakfast."

   "If word gets out that you're not in your cell," Bucky warned half-heartedly and I grinned, finishing his sentence. "Then I will rot away in jail for the rest of my life."

   "Precisely." Bucky had walked over to press the down button for an elevator to come.

   "Captain, where are we going?" I turned my head to look at the blonde who was scribbling something into a notebook.

   He looked up in my direction and smiled. "First, we're gonna get you a GPS implant, then after that, we're going to the coffee shop down the road. Also, please, call me Steve."

   "Alright, thanks, uh, Steve," I replied just as the metal door opened. Bucky was the first to enter, followed by Steve and me.

   Unfortunately, an agent with an afro was there too. She frowned when she saw me but didn't say a word until the elevator started to descend.

   "Why is Elvira Meyer out of her cell?" The agent questioned, her voice smooth but guarded.

   "She's going on a mission in a few days, we gotta train her first," Steve answered firmly, not revealing any emotions through a blank face.

   "But-"

   "Fury approved." Bucky snapped with an irritated look on his face. "She's safer with us."

   The look on his face screamed, "nobody cares about your opinion, mind your own fucking business."

   I smiled gratefully at the two of them. Steve nodded in response an just as the elevator door opened, revealing a spacious lobby filled with busy men and women in suits walking to different parts of the floor with powerful strides and thin lips that made me think that they were robots.

   Maybe they were robots.

   As we weaved through groups of people, some smiled or nodded at Steve, but nobody seemed to greet Bucky. Poor overshadowed guy.

   I fell into step next to Bucky, who was on Steve's right. "So, why the grumpy look on your face?"

   "Nothing." He replied indifferently, making me roll my eyes at him.

   "Well, alright then, emo puppy," I muttered under my breath, walking through a pair of automatic doors with the two into the sunlight.

   "Don't call me that," Bucky huffed under his breath. "And what- what does 'emo' mean?"

   We went through a small garden and into a different block. Taking another elevator, we reached what seemed to be an empty medical centre.

   "Sit down," Steve gestured to a chair behind a desk, and I obeyed. He unlocked a cabinet and pulled out a menacing gun-looking object. I looked at Bucky, who was scribbling something into a small notebook.

   I jolted, feeling something cold press against the back of my neck. "I have surprisingly low pain tolerance for an ex-Hydra agent."

   "It'll hurt for one-" Steve used his spare hand to hold my neck in place, then something jabbed into my neck. "-second."

   "Ow," I winced, reaching to the back of my neck with my hand. Steve pushed it away. "It hurt like hell, idiot."

   "It's done, Donatella," Bucky said. "Let's get you some coffee, yeah?"

   We ended up in the cafe Steve had mentioned before. The cozy little shop was dimly lit and quiet elevator music played through overhead speakers.

   "Oh fuck," I exclaimed, looking at the queue with over fifteen people waiting, even though it was just seven in the morning. Bucky tensed beside me when he looked at the people staring at his arm in wonder.

   "I shouldn't have changed into a t-shirt." He muttered under his breath. "Oh, look, fans."

   Fans? Right, Captain America is with us.

   Two preteen girls and a little girl not older than six exited the queue and walked over in our direction, wearing matching crop tops in different colours. One of them squealed. Actually squealed.

   "Hey, are you, like, Captain America?" The littlest girl, a pretty brunette with silver-rimmed glasses asked shyly.

   Steve straightened his posture and nodded, crouching down to match their height.

   He smiled broadly, the anxiousness he previously had gone. "Yes, I am. How are you all?"

   The strawberry blonde next to her blushed. "Great. She's my sister, and she's a huge fan of you and the Avengers."

   "I'm glad people actually like us," Steve laughed, knowing that he obviously had a fan base, unlike some of us here.

   "Of course people like you! Wattpad has a shit load of fanfics about you, and the Winter Soldier, and Loki, and and and-"

   "OMG, Opal, you just swore in front of Captain America! Captain freaking America!" The third girl finally spoke up.

   "Who are you?" The little girl blurted out, looking at me.

   "Oh, I'm a nobody. Uh, technically I'm their prisoner for doing bad stuff. Don't end up like me." I laughed pathetically, looking at Steve for help.

   "Do you want a photo?" He offered, changing the subject. At that point, a small crowd had formed when people spread the news of Captain America being here on social media, and poor Steve was taking photo after photo with his adoring fans as I played photographer, not wanting to disappoint anybody. I didn't get a single tip.

   Next to me, Bucky stood with his head down, rocking on his feet. "Smile!" I said through gritted teeth, sensing Bucky's uneasiness. I sent Steve a look when I took a burst of him lifting a woman my age into the air.

   "Sorry guys, but we need to get somewhere," I addressed the crowd, making them groan.

   "But we've waited for an hour!" A pair of boys exclaimed from the middle of the line. Yes, a line had formed.

   "And Steve came here for coffee only to be interrupted by y'all for dingalingaling - an hour! He has a life too." I fired back, reaching down to grab the cup of coffee that the cafe had kindly offered since they got so much traffic because of Steve.

   "Who the hell are you?" A blonde Karen-type shouted from the back of the line. "I want to speak to the manager!"

   "I'm his teammate, Karen!" I lied, dragging Bucky with me. "Let's go, Steve."

   Muttering a quick goodbye, he followed us out of the coffee shop without a drink. Poor dude just wanted some caffeine.